Count Me In
by X Music Is Believing X
Summary: 10 sort of connected drabbles C/B


10 days spent waiting for him after he left her standing at the helipad. She was miserable, of course, she had actually put complete trust in someone and he let her down. However, she decided to carry on an enjoy her holiday. She would show him. Blair Waldorf is not defeated by an indecisive man like chuck bass. She the queen bee of Constance for god's sake.. Then she meets Marcus, seemingly perfect in every way, and then subconsciously the perfect opportunity for revenge presents its self. Subconsciously. Defiantly. Partially. Okay, a totally and completely conscious decision, so what?

9 Red roses he sent her after 'giving' her to Jack. He knew that had been the fatal mistake. Handing her over like a toy he'd outgrown, in exchange for what? A hotel. It was pathetic, that much he knew. He just got so caught up in the desire to win, to succeed, to show is father, mother and uncle that he was as good as any of them. But in doing so he'd let himself become what he had promised he never would. He'd become, in effect, his father. She was gone, and he knew she wasn't coming back. And the sickening thing was he had only himself to blame.

8 seconds was how long it had taken her to run up the last staircase to the roof. Over 30 stairs at least, it had to be some kind of record. Someone had once told her adrenaline made it possible to do things you never thought you could. Personally, she thought the basic instinct to save the person you loved was a more important factor. Her heart had nearly stopped when she saw him balanced precariously on the edge of the roof, and she had never known relief like when she finally coaxed him down and he fell into her arms, murmuring apologies only she would ever hear.

7 thousand dollars spent on the beautiful engagement ring. Tiffany's, of course, where else did one buy a ring for Blair Waldorf.? He had spent hours trying to pick the perfect one to represent what she meant to him. This ring had to be a promise, an apology and a vow all rolled into one. He had to make her see she was all that really mattered to him. She would see that…she would know, he told himself over and over. But gazing down from the top of the empire state building, a small voice in the back of his mind questioned. What if she doesn't?

6 people who, in some way or another, managed to get in the way of their relationship. Nate of course, in the beginning. The realisation that neither of them cared enough about Nate for him to be any kind of threat had been hard to take, and had kept them apart for a long time. Marcus of course, had only ever been a decoy, she could never have cared for him the way she cared for Chuck, which she suspected was how Chuck really felt about Eva. Jack and Jenny could be filed away under the label _silly mistakes, _while Vanessa….well that wasn't even worth talking about was it?

5 years old was the age they first met. He always remembered his first sighting of Blair Waldorf. Holding onto Dorota's hand, but unlike many of the other new children, including he suspected, himself, there was no fear in her eyes. He remembered thinking she surveyed the small playground like she was a queen and this was her kingdom. He recalled in their first day she had already acquisitioned three minions and Nate Archibald, who followed her round like a lost puppy. _Their_ first contact was at the end of the day, when her headband slipped to the floor and he picked it up. She flashed him a small smile and with a whisper of thanks, skipped off. He had been lost from that moment on really.

4 years spent toying with this silly thing they called a relationship. So much has happened in that time it was sometimes enough to make her head spin. However, that was to be expected when you lived your lives constantly under the threat of the melodrama that inevitably came with Gossip girl and her seemingly omniscient blog. In that time they'd been so close, and then so far apart in very quick succession. They'd satisfied their need for companionship with others, and had spent a lot of time alone. However, in the words of, strangely enough, Little J _"You two used to be in love and together, you were invincible" _Yes, that was true enough.

3 little words. How long it had take them just to admit the truth. It's been said so many times now it seems ridiculous that such a thing ever kept them apart for months. But it did. He remembers the fist time she said it, just after his father's funeral. He panicked of course, and in true Chuck Bass fashion, ran away as fast as he could. Gossip girl was right. _Coward. _He sometimes wonders if he'd said it back then, or indeed the first time she asked him, at the Hamilton's in the summer, whether it would have affected where they are now. Whether avoiding all the hurt during those months would have made them stronger, strong enough to pass over the hurdles that life threw at them later on. It's a _'what if' _which he knows will never be answered.

2 people. So totally different. People say opposites attract. That was certainly the truth with them. Maybe it was their seemingly innate strength and the knowledge they could be….no, had to be, the winners, which brought them together. After all, how many take down's had they done as partners in crime? But if things worked out the fairytale way she always imagined they would, she would have married Nate and they would have been society's 'it' couple. While Chuck would have made Bass industries so much more than anyone believed he could, and proved all those who criticized him wrong. Sometimes, though, things don't always work out the way you plan. Sometimes it produces something so amazing that despite all the hurt that goes with it, its even better than you ever planned.

1 relationship. On/off is not the way to describe them. Love/hate comes closer, but still isn't quite right. Truth is, their relationship is something more meaningful and personal, so words don't really seem to cover it. Their just Chuck and Blair, and what they have is uniquely complex and just…them. The truth is though, despite the immense amounts of anger, fear, hurt and at times, even hate, which has come from their relationship, they both must admit that the happy times were the best they've ever known. And the inconvenient truth is that they know they can never love anyone else as much.


End file.
